Center District

The Central District (population 2.35 million) is Israel's most populous administrative region—a dense coastal corridor extending from the Mediterranean to the Judean foothills that contains the country's demographic center of gravity. Established in the 1953 administrative reorganization replacing British Mandate divisions, the district encompasses cities like Petah Tikva, Rishon LeZion, Netanya, and Rehovot that have grown into major urban centers as the Tel Aviv metropolitan area expanded outward. The district functions as a deconcentrated central government entity headed by a Ministry of Interior officer, with no elected institutions—representing administrative convenience rather than local governance. Population density at 4,698 people per square mile reflects the pressure on this strip of habitable land between sea and hills. National planning policy under Outline Plan 35 has attempted to disperse population to northern and southern districts through tax incentives, though the Central District's proximity to Tel Aviv's economic opportunities continues to draw residents despite higher costs.